Richard B. Roper, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, announced that today, in federal court in Dallas, the Honorable Barefoot Sanders, United States Senior District Court Judge, departed upward from the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and sentenced Mauricio Aguirre-Orcutt to 57 month imprisonment, following his guilty plea in October to a one-count Information charging him with mail fraud. Orcutt, age 36, of Dallas, has been in federal custody since October 2005 when he violated his conditions of pretrial release. Judge Sanders also ordered that Orcutt pay $2,552.17 in restitution to the victims of his crime.

In documents filed in Court, Orcutt admitted that he ran an elaborate scheme, full of lies and deception, to defraud a magazine publisher, Glen Bowen, out of thousands of dollars worth of expensive fountain pens. In June 2004, Orcutt emailed Bowen, the owner and publisher of Pen World International Magazine, and told hm that an advertising agency in London would advertise Pen World on several billboards in London for free. Orcutt explained that the advertising would be free because he had a friend, “Kurt Hillman,” who was the owner of a private advertising company in London, “Versus,” who owed hm a favor. Neither “Hillman” or “Versus” existed and Orcutt knew that no billboards would be created. To further ingratiate himself to Bowen, Orcutt used the “Kurt Hillman” persona to suggest that Pen World International Magazine send Orcutt a fountain pen in appreciation for Orcutt’s contribution to Pen World and in August 2004, Pen World Magazine mailed nine fountain pens, worth approximately $12,000.00 to Orcutt in Dallas.

A few months later, Orcutt, while corresponding with Bowen, falsely represented that he had been a special assistant and advisor to former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and had been a State Department official who helped finalize the North American Free Trade Agreement. He also represented that he was an advisor to President George W. Bush and that he’d met with President Bush earlier in the day. To bolster the misimpression, Orcutt falsely represented to Bowen that he was meeting with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York on September 15, 2004 and was going to “market” Pen World to the Secretary. Orcutt suggested giving Secretary Annan of Pen World a Delta 20th Anniversary fountain pen. Bowen. acquired the Delta Pen and mailed it to Orcutt so that Orcutt could make the presentation to Secretary Annan as a gift from Pen World. Later, Orcutt advised Bowen that he had met with Secretary Annan and had given him the Delta Pen, which the Secretary used to sign a United Nations Resolution. A few days later, Orcutt sent Bowen an altered digital photograph of Secretary Annan that purportedly shows the Secretary signing some document with the Delta Pen. Orcutt, however, never met with Secretary Annan and kept the Delta Pen for himself.

On September 14, 2004, Orcutt told Bowen that he had been invited to a reception in Crawford, Texas, with President Bush and suggested to Bowen that Pen World give President Bush a fountain pen as a gift. He told Bowen that he’s spoken with Presidential advisor, Karen Hughes, about the President’s preference in fountain pens. Bowen obtained a Limited Edition, Number 76, David Oscarson Harvest Fountain Pen for Orcutt to give to the President. Orcutt falsely represented to Bowen that the President would use the pen to sign the Medical Relief Act during a White House ceremony. So Bowen sent the Oscarson Pen to Orcutt and a few days later Orcutt advised Bowen that he’d mailed the pen to President Bush. Orcutt, however, never mailed the Oscarson Pen to the President and kept it for himself.

Later that month, Orcutt falsely represented to Bowen that the President had used the Oscarson Pen to sign the Gold Star Mother’s Day proclamation and mailed the pen manufacturer altered digital photographs of President Bush that purportedly showed the President using the Oscarson Pen to sign the proclamation. Orcutt mailed a forged thank-you note from President Bush to the pen manufacturer.

When the pen manufacturer received the altered photographs and forged thank-you note, the manufacturer demanded that the Oscarson Pen be returned to Bowen Orcutt falsely represented to Bowen that the White House had returned the Oscarson Pen to him and falsely suggested to Bowen that a White House staff member or aide created the altered digital photographs of President Bush and the forged thank-you note. Orcutt well knew that he was the one who had created the fraudulent photographs and thank-you note on his personal computer in Dallas.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the United States Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tammy Reno.